


Fragments of Many Lives

by JustDance04



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: corrin wants to be everyone's friend, other nohr kids mentioned in passing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-12 17:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7943332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustDance04/pseuds/JustDance04
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabbles about Fates, sometimes based on my personal files and others just in general.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Uncertain Future (Shigure & Ophelia)

**Author's Note:**

> I married Odin to Azura in Conquest, got feelings over the family, and learned nobody makes anything for them. So I wrote it myself.

Shigure moved his foot in a circle, watching the water ripple around it. The lake was cold, but he didn't mind as he let his legs dangle off the dock. His mother had always loved water and being in it, which he supposed he had inherited a bit of. More than water, though, he loved heights and looking out over the world. On a normal day, he would have taken his pegasus and gone flying, but he was at this lake for a reason.

His hand moved to the pouch tied to his belt, feeling the hard object inside. He had made a promise to his mother and he intended to fulfill it before he was forced to decide his own fate.

“Dearest brother, it is rather cold to be in water, is it not?” A familiar voice asked. He turned his head to see his sister, Ophelia, approaching. Even she had foregone her standard dark mage's attire for something warmer, making him look rather foolish in comparison.

“I don't mind it,” he responded, scooting over a bit for her to sit cross-legged beside him. “What brings you out here?”

“I wished to speak with you. We have yet to discuss Father's recent revelations about the truth of our existence.”

Ah. She meant the other day when their father and his friends sat them down, along with Laslow and Selena's spouses and children, to explain that everything they had known had been a lie. Their father was a hero from another world, named Owain, who now planned to go back to his homeland. He had left it up to his children to decide whether or not they would go with him.

“Yes, that's... I've been wondering quite a bit about that. I don't wish to part with Father, but going with him would mean leaving everything here behind. Everything we've ever known... All our friends, except for Soleil and Velouria if they decide to come with, which they might not... We would never even know what happens to Nohr and Hoshido in the years to come.”

“Yes. While Father's tale is certainly a grand one worthy of a chosen one such as himself, I do wonder where we fit into it. Is it our destiny to follow him or must we carve our own path at the cost of leaving him forever? I... don't know if I can bear to part with both our parents in such a short span of time.”

Shigure went silent. He had never told Ophelia about the curse of their mother's pendant. He had, at one point, tried to tell their father, but had been cut off with a sad look and a muttered 'I know...' While he was sure that he had been the only one who she had told about the potential consequences of her power, but it seemed Odin knew either way. His sister, meanwhile, was left to wonder about what happened.

He meant to tell her. He truly did. He just wasn't sure what to say.

“Shigure?” Her voice broke him out of his thoughts.

“I'm sorry, Ophelia. I was just... Mother...”

“I understand, brother dear. I did not mean to make you upset. I know you were closer to her than I was.”

“It's not that... I mean, it's... it's complicated. I just... losing her and now trying to decide what to do... I can't just decide on whether or not to leave everything I've known when I'm still reeling from Mother and the end of the war and... It's just... so much...”

A weight pressed on his shoulder and he turned his head to find Ophelia leaning on him. “Do you remember what Father used to tell us? About him and Mother?”

“You'll have to be more specific, Ophelia. I can't read your mind.”

“That's a shame. Reading thoughts would be a fascinating ability. I meant about how they fell in love.”

“Ah yes. I remember Mother saying something about watching him do... that thing he does where he yells a lot.”

“It's a very important ritual, Shigure!” Ophelia sat back up with a mildly offended expression.

“Yes, yes, I know. I suppose I don't have enough dark power in me to be able to properly understand it.” He laughed and nudged her. “Forgive me for not being quite like you and Father. For siblings, we're really as different as night and day, huh?”

“That's not true.”

“Hm?”

“We're both good singers, even if I don't sing as much as you. We both like sweet bread. We've both brought stray animals home before. We both have named weapons, even if you aren't as open about it for some reason.”

Shigure's face flushed a bit. It was true that his lance had a name, a fact that mostly remained a secret. Only his family members and people who directly asked if he named his weapons knew.

“Also...” Ophelia continued. “We have the same birthmark.”

He blinked and pulled his feet out of the water in reaction, to look at the birthmark in question. It was situated just above his left ankle, on the inside of his leg. His sister, he knew, had an identical one on her arm.

“What did Father say it was called again?” He thought out loud.

“The Brand of the Exalt or the Mark of Naga. It signifies the royal line in his homeland.”

“Ah, yes. Because we are apparently royalty on both sides of our family, despite being raised to believe our father was a commoner prior to becoming Prince Leo's retainer.”

“No one ever actually said he was a commoner. We just assumed so due to his mysterious past.”

“A lie by omission, then.”

“Yes, I suppose so...”

“You know, I think this conversation is only making more stressed. Also, I actually am getting cold now."

Ophelia giggled and stood up. “How about tea then? Perhaps we can ask Dwyer to prepare his miracle brew.”

Shigure laughed and pushed himself off the ground. “Alright then. Let me put my shoes back on. You go ask him if he'd be willing.”  
“All right.”

As Ophelia disappeared towards the castle, Shigure reached towards the pouch again and pulled out his mother's pendant. While he might not have been able to convince her not to use it or to let him use it in her stead, he could at least fulfill his promise.

Taking one last look out over the lake, he pulled his arm back and threw the pendant as far as he could. After a moment, when he was sure it was sinking down to be hidden from humanity forever, he turned on his heel and followed his sister, leaving all thoughts of his mother and uncertain future aside for the moment.

 


	2. Class Changes (Laslow, Selena, & Odin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who steals a pegasus in the middle of a battle?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> featuring Sky Knight!Selena, Grandmaster!Odin (son of Robin), and regular Laslow who hasn't seen his friends in weeks

“I'm gonna need an explanation,” Laslow asked, sitting on one of the barrels in Palace Macarath's stables. His right arm was wrapped in bandages and he could feel the sting of antidote underneath it. Damn those ninja and their poisoned weapons.

“What is there to explain?” Selena asked, annoyance in her voice. She was a lot better, presumably because she had spent the battle backed up by the green-haired ninja that Lord Corrin said was on their side.

“Well... you've always been very adamant about staying out of your mother's shadow... So the concept of you riding a pegasus was something I pretty much considered impossible. Despite that...” he motioned to the winged horse his friend was brushing with his left hand. “So tell me, Selena, since when are you a sky knight? A few weeks ago you were still a swordswoman.”

“It, uh... Okay, so we were going with Lady Camilla to join Lord Corrin. We caught up with him at Port Dia and they were being swarmed by Hoshidans... There were a lot of sky knights there, too.”

“Oh no... Don't tell me you stole a pegasus.”

“So what if I did? Icarus likes me and I take good care of him, right boy?” Icarus gave a whinny, though Laslow was uncertain whether he was answering his rider or if he was just making noises. “Anyway, the Hoshidan sky knights were making things difficult for Lord Corrin and his army to block the passageway to the ferries. He commented something about it being easier with other flying units to retaliate...”

“At what point did you steal the pegasus?”

“His name is Icarus!” Selena set the brush down to pick up another and move on to Icarus' mane. “Okay, so Mozu – you know, the archer girl with flowers in her hair – had shot down one of them. From what I could see, the knight in question had no clue what he was doing when it came to handling a pegasus.”

“But you do, of course.”

“Stop interrupting. So Lord Corrin had a naginata that apparently had been Mozu's before she decided to become an archer. While I may be more used to regular lances, the weapons were similar enough that I could use both.”

“So you took the lance, stole the pegasus, and became a sky knight.”

“What did I _just_ say? Why do I even bother telling you things?”

“Am I wrong?”

“... No, but still! Don't interrupt! It's the principle of the thing!” She motioned angrily with the brush.

“Hey, I just wanted an explanation for you becoming a sky knight!”

“And then you kept interrupting my story! You asked for the story so let me tell it!”

“Should I come back later?” A voice interrupted. They turned to see Odin standing in the doorway, raising an eyebrow.

“No, no!” Laslow said, grinning. “Selena was just telling me why she's suddenly a sky knight!”

“Laslow kept interrupting me,” she growled.

“Yes, it was a very interesting moment,” Odin said. “She just grabbed the naginata out of Lord Corrin's hands, climbed on the pegasus, and rode into battle. She was still in her gambeson at that point, of course. The proper armor didn't come until later.”

“I was in a rush! Lady Camilla and Beruka were the only ones with flying mounts to handle the sky knights!”

“Yes. I know you were in a rush because you were yelling as you switched from being a mercenary to a sky knight in the middle of a battle.”

“You're one to talk about yelling! And it's not like you didn't change!” She motioned to Odin's outfit, but especially the sword on his belt and his father's cloak.

“Yes, but I was already a swordsman at one point. I just picked it back up and I kept the tomes as well, like Dad used to. Furthermore, I didn't do so in the middle of combat.”

“So in the span of a few weeks since the last time we saw each other, you two both decided to go following in your parent's footsteps,” Laslow commented.

“That means it's your turn, Laslow,” Selena said with a smug grin.

“I... which parent are talking about here?”

“Well, you're already a swordsman, so it can't be your father...”

Laslow felt his face flush. “... No. I can dance, but not in the way Mother could and you know it!”

“Relax, it was a joke.” The sky knight, done grooming her pegasus, started to put everything back in it's place. “I was messing with you. I haven't seen you in a while and I missed you and I'm glad to have you back, so I felt like teasing you.”

“... Repeat that?”

“You heard me the first time!”

 


	3. Traitor's Lament (Corrin, Azura, Kaze, Mozu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Born Hoshidan, but they choose to fight for Nohr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someday I'm gonna finish writing a drabble that isn't Conquest-verse. Today is not that day.

Corrin always thought of himself as Nohrian. He was raised there and it was really all he knew beyond a few vague memories. Hoshido might have been the home of his birth family, but they were just that. His birth family. The Nohrians were his family by bonds. Despite this, the Hoshidans seemed unable to accept that he would willingly choose Nohr. That he would choose love and loyalty. To them, Nohr was evil and corrupting. They thought he was under a spell.

  
_He wished he could make them see the truth._

 

Azura was a traitor, she supposed, but Hoshido turned on her first. She was never accepted there and things only got worse after the war started. She never willingly turned her back on the country she was raised in so much as she ran into the arms of the only person with whom she knew she would be truly welcome. Her siblings begged for her to come back, but she couldn't. To join them would mean making the war last longer than necessary and cause her more suffering. Who was to say she wouldn't be captured again?

 

_Fate was always cruel to her, it seemed._

 

Kaze knew that nobody could see his actions as anything except for betrayal, except for those in the Nohrian army who assumed he was a spy. He was part of the Saizo clan, whom had always been loyal to the Hoshidan royal family. While he had never truly given an oath of loyalty due to having no liege to serve, it was assumed he would fight for them anyway. In Palace Macarath, his brother's face was concealed, but, even so, he knew Saizo was truly upset about it.

 

_He only hoped that, when all was said and done, he would be forgiven._

 

Mozu was not publicly recognized as a traitor, unlike the others. After all, she was just some farm girl. Some people would question why she would side with Nohr, who sent the Faceless that destroyed her village in the first place, but she always told them the same thing. She was in no way loyal to Nohr, just as she had never been loyal to Hoshido. She was loyal to her family and, since her parents and village were dead, Corrin's army was her family.

 

_Hoshido hadn't saved her village, so why should she side with them anyway?_

 


	4. Wheat and Rice (Nina)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The child of two worlds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wheat field quote really made me notice Nina's status in the army.

“ _Rice from Hoshido and wheat from Nohr can be mixed into something wonderful...”_

Nina supposed that Corrin just took it as a face-value statement on food. It was partially that, but she also was at least slightly contemplating herself and her existence.

She was a child of two worlds. Her father was a former thief, skilled archer, retainer to Prince Leo, and, most importantly, thoroughly Nohrian. Her mother, meanwhile, was a tailor, wielder of lances and naginatas, retainer to Prince Takumi, and indisputably Hoshidan.

The differences between them shone greatly in Nina. It was in her father's skin that was darker than anything you'd find in Hoshido and her mother's facial features that lacked the sharp edges of Nohr. She had inherited both in a strange mixture.

Her closet was filled with sandals and leather boots, yukatas and vests, bright colors like the sun and dark ones like the night. Her favorite foods were bread and fish. She was taught Hoshidan tea rituals, but preferred black Nohrian tea.

It was like oil and water except that she had somehow gotten them to mix. Sort of, at least.

There were others like her, of course, but none of them felt the differences as much as she did. Hisame was too concerned with his mother's bloodlust than her heritage. Caeldori wasn't even Nohrian, really, as her mother came from elsewhere. Kiragi barely paid attention to the fact that he was a royal of one nation, let alone two. Velouria was too... well, Velouria. Percy was too young to understand. Mitama was firm in her Hoshidan roots and training as a shrine maiden. Asugi didn't care about lineage. Ophelia was too bizarre to take notice of such things. Sophie only focused on a few problems at a time and her current problems were clumsiness and an unruly horse, while her Hoshidan royal heritage was on the backburner.

Nina was the only one who felt truly torn between her parent's two countries. Maybe it was that she wasn't eternally upbeat or too focused on training. It might have been that her mother was once intensely anti-Nohrian, even if she had defrosted before even meeting Niles. It could have been because she was a fairly normal commoner, weird fantasies about men aside.

For whatever reason, she was the one with whom it struck the most that she was, indeed, both Nohrian and Hoshidan.

Still, wasn't a large part of this army focused on cultural exchange? If the countries knew each other well, it would prevent further war after Anankos was dead. So her existence was a good thing. Besides, despite the discrepancies, she loved everything about her life and wouldn't change for the world.

 


	5. Capitalism (Nohr Kids)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nina tries to fight a small child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is pure 100% badly written crack that i couldnt figure out an ending for

Siegbert's day got weird when Midori came running up and told them that he was needed at the old shed that used to be an armory but was now more of a clubhouse for the kids. When he asked what was wrong, she only said that people were fighting and he needed to come break it up, because he was the prince and therefore the leader. With a glance at his cousin and a shrug, he followed the herbalist to find out what was wrong.

When they got there, it was a sight to behold. Nina was collapsed face-first on the floor and muttering something, not moving from her position due to the fact that Shigure was sitting on her back, arms crossed and eyes closed. Sophie appeared to be using herself as a wall between Nina and Kana. Kana herself looked on the verge of tears, with Percy hugging her to calm her down. Ignatius didn't seem to know how to handle the tense atmosphere, while Soleil seemed to be futilely attempting to cheer him up. Ophelia and Dwyer both stood watching from the sidelines and Velouria, as usual, was nowhere to be seen.

“Um...” Siegbert was unsure where to start. “What... happened?”

“Nina and Kana got into a fight,” Sophie said. “Like, a physical fistfight. Nina is trying to fight Kana.”

“Who fights a small child?” Forrest asked.

“I'm not that small!” the child in question cried. “But Nina's a lot bigger than me and I don't know why she's mad!”

The princes looked over to Shigure, who remained sitting on his sister's back. “Well?” Siegbert asked.

“... Nina hates capitalism and rich people,” Shigure said, as if that answered everything.

“Okay, can anyone give me the _full_ story of what's going on?”

Soleil raised her hand, other arm still looped around Ignatius' tense shoulders. “Well, you know Kana's mom, right?”

“Miss Anna? Of course.”

“... Okay, you know how Kana's mom is a greedy merchant who may or may not love money more than her own family right?”

“Wait... Oh, gods, please don't tell me this is going where I think it's going...”

“She passed her ideals down onto her daughter.”

“It went where I thought it was going.”

“So Nina is trying to fight Kana because she's repeating what her mother told her?” Forrest asked. “Isn't that a little unfair to Kana? She can hardly be expected to properly understand how economies work.”

“Capitalism and greed are why the world sucks and her mom is a paragon of their terrible ideals!” Nina shouted.

“... My mom's a murderer, but nobody blames me for the people she's killed,” Siegbert deadpanned.

“My mother is a dark mage who once destroyed towns until she cursed herself,” Forrest added.

“My mom's an assassin!” Soleil volunteered.

“My mom's a- Wait no, never mind. 'My mom is a farm girl' doesn't really work here, does it?” Sophie said.

“My mom's a maid!” Percy said, seemingly oblivious to the actual topic of conversation. Midori patted him on the shoulder and held her finger to her lips in a shushing motion.

Nina grumbled and pressed her face against the floor. “Whatever... If I promise not to fight Kana, will someone get Shigure off my back?”

“I... er...” Siegbert pressed his lips together. “... Solve this yourselves. I feel a sudden need to go do some very aggressive sword training.”

 


	6. Knight in Shining Armor (Sophie/Mitama)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophie didn't want a knight in shining armor. She wanted to be one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pointless drabble for my rarepair. Feat. Hana!Sophie and Sakura!Mitama.

In Nohr, it was believed that every girl dreamed of a knight in shining armor to come sweep them off their feet.

Sophie held no inclination in her head. Not only was she living among Hoshidans, where the concept didn't exist, but she also had no desire to be carted away by some noble to become a lady who sat around doing nothing all day. No, she wanted to _be_ the knight in shining armor. She would ride into battle atop Avel, fighting her way among brigands...

And apparently sweep a girl off her feet, in a literal sense.

Princess Mitama of Hoshido stared from her position in Sophie's arms, inkbrush tucked behind her ear and healing rod in hand. “You can put me down. I thank you for the rescue, but I am fine now.”

Sophie counted the syllables in her head. “... Did you just ask me to put you down in the form of haiku?”

Mitama paused. “I suppose... yes, but it was not on purpose. Regardless, you can set me down any time now. I am still perfectly capable of walking.”

“Sorry... I just... um...”

“Put me down, then apologize.”

Sophie lowered the other girl to the ground, then immediately started brushing at her shrine maiden robes to make sure they weren't messed up. “Right, right... I just thought I needed to get you away from the enemies because you don't have a weapon and-”

“I was not explicitly against you carrying me. It's just not an appropriate time for you do to do so for long periods of time.”

Sophie blushed. What was that supposed to mean? “Right, well... we should probably go back with the others.”

“We should.”

“... I'm gonna go now.”

Mitama waved as Sophie mounted on Avel and returned to the fray, face red as a beet.

 _Well,_ the cavalier thought. _She's pretty._

 


	7. Home (Odin/Azura)

“ _ **Tell me about your homeland.”**_

“ _A difficult thing to ask of me, fair lady.”_

It isn't that Odin doesn't _want_ to tell Azura everything about himself – on the contrary, he would love nothing more than to bare his entire soul to her.

He can't, though. He just can't tell her the truth of where he came from. Even the name of his home would be too much, as there is no country called Ylisse in this world. He would have no other choice but to explain that he came from another world and that, after the war, they would part ways.

They would have to part ways.

He knows Laslow and Selena are having difficulty as well, but they fell in love with common folk, who could almost surely choose to leave their current lives behind if they so wish. Such a thing is different from falling in love with a princess. The Nohrian royal family, save for King Garon, were quite welcoming of their lost sister and he has no doubt she would wish to stay and build a new life with them.

Still, he can't just refuse to give an answer, so he tells Azura what he can. He describes Ylisstol as well as he can remember it, being more than a little put off when he realizes his memories of the place have become vague over the years. He tells her of the small town south of the capital where his mother first met his father and of the eastern mountains, including the view from Mount Prism, which he feels like he could never forget in his life.

“ _ **Your homeland sounds beautiful, Odin. ”**_

“ _It is. I wish I could take you to see it someday, but it is a long journey and returning to Nohr would not be an option.”_

“ _ **Is that so much of a problem?”**_

“ _I can't tear you away from everything you have here. You belong here.”_

“ _ **I don't think I do. I don't believe I truly belong anywhere in this land, but perhaps somewhere far away...”**_

“ _And what of your family?”_

“ _ **They will be fine without me. I want to meet your family, Odin.”**_

“ _I would love nothing more than to introduce you.”_

 


	8. Army Recruitment (Leo, Corrin, & ensemble)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin needs to stop bringing home stray people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leo is Tired.

Leo's eyes swept over the group, newly returned from Ice Tribe territory.

Corrin was alive and well, as he had hoped. Odin and Niles, it seemed, had indeed found her as ordered and looked no worse for the wear. Jakob, who would be dead long before his liege if he had anything to say about it. Elise and both of her retainers, all chipper as ever. Silas, a newly-appointed knight and, more importantly, Corrin's childhood friend.

All eight of the people sent out had come back safe and sound. That just begged the question of where the hell numbers nine and ten came from.

Off to the side of the group stood the two mystery girls. One was somewhat plain-looking, yet still attractive in her own right, with brown hair tied off in pigtails and plenty of freckles. She looked more Hoshidan than Nohrian, but, given her attire, she most likely was a regular peasant rather than anyone important. She looked very nervous, almost as if she was about to pass out from the sheer concept of standing inside of a castle.

The other girl, with red hair up in a ponytail, seemed much more comfortable in the environment. An easy grin rested on her face, as did her index finger. Her eyes darted around the room, as if appraising it.

“Corrin... are you going to introduce me to your new acquaintances here?” he asked. “I don't believe I've met them.”

“Oh, right! Sorry!” Corrin gestured to the redhead, then the brunette. “These are Anna and Mozu.”

“A pleasure to meet you, milord!” Anna said, grinning.

“H-hello...” Mozu looked very pale.

“We rescued them while we were out,” Corrin said. “Mozu's village was attacked by Faceless and Anna was being chased by bandits.”

“Not at the same time, of course!” Anna said. “They already had Mozu by the time they found me.”

“... And so you decided to... bring them here?” Leo asked.

“Anna volunteered as repayment for rescuing her,” Silas explained. “She's good with a bow and has... an uncanny knack for finding random gold on the ground, which helps with funds, I guess.”

Anna's grin grew even wider.

“And Mozu?”

“Also volunteered. She didn't really... have anywhere else to go.”

“I... see.” He turned back to Corrin. “Do you intend to make a habit of picking up random strangers?”

“They're my friends,” she responded, as if that was a suitable answer.

“Corrin, you left on your mission a month ago.”

“They're my _friends_.”

“Just don't go recruiting any more random people, okay? Especially since that's an easy way to invite spies into our army.”

Corrin grumbled. “Yeah, yeah... I promise not to recruit people who I don't find completely and totally trustworthy and who I'm not sure won't be completely loyal to Nohr...”

“Good.”

* * *

 

“Corrin...”

“Leo, this is Azura, your long-lost sister. Also, the mage is Nyx and, of course, you've already met Kaze. Also, Camilla, her retainers, and Xander's retainers, but I don't think I need to introduce you to them.” Corrin looked completely unapologetic about having recruited not just more random strangers, but also straight-up letting a Hoshidan ninja into the army.

“Goddammit.”

 


End file.
